Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/860302
www.postmagazine.com 38 POST AUGUST 2017 REVIEW W ith the introduction of the free version of Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve a few years ago, there has been an explosion of would-be colorists. It's great to see so many people caring not only about the offline portion of content creation, such as writing and editing, but now the finishing stage in color correction and online work as well. Unfortunately, this also means you will need the proper equipment to view your content or else you could be color correcting...incorrectly. In a barebones environment, this typically consists of a higher-end computer system and a color accurate viewing monitor. More often than not, this means multiple displays, a color accurate output display, a scope, maybe color correction panels like the Tangent Elements or Blackmagic Design Mini Panel, and multiple other expensive pieces of hardware. But at the end of the day, one of the most important pieces of hardware you need to accurately color correct and grade material is a high-end color critical monitor — which typically costs thousands of dollars. AN AFFORDABLE OPTION BenQ, a provider of visual display solutions, has come to the rescue with an affordable 27-inch color critical video and post production-focused monitor for $899. While the cost is right, there are a few drawbacks. For instance, the BenQ PV270 does not support 4K resolution, and does not have SDI connections. While some people argue the differences in quali- ty and color fidelity between HDMI vs. SDI connections — most often SDI is considered a professional connection while HDMI is still trying to be that — it's a discussion for another time. Once you get past those shortcom- ings, the PV270 is actually a great monitor when used for video, post and image manipulation. Out of the box, you'll notice that the BenQ PV270 panel does not weigh all that much — about 12 pounds. However, the stand is sturdy and increases the total weight to about 17 pounds. Moreover, the shading hood adds a little over two pounds. The monitor stand allows for a large rotation to angle the monitor to where you are sitting, but if you or your client is off to the side, the panel still has a large viewing angle of 178 degrees without too much loss in contrast and color. The stand has a maximum height adjustment of a little over five inch- es. It has two USB 3.0 ports, as well as an SD card reader built into the side and connects via HDMI 1.4, DVI, DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort. One of the lacking features is the under 4K resolution this display offers at 2560x1440. While this is still a 16:9 aspect ratio, it would have been nice to see at minimum 3840x2160 (UHD). The lack of resolution, however, doesn't necessarily mean I don't love this monitor. THE SPECS The BenQ PV270 is a 10-bit color, IPS panel with LED backlight, 27-inch work area. What sets this apart from other non-video and post-focused BenQ monitors is the 100 percent Rec. 709 and 96 percent DCI-P3 color space coverage. Also, it has a very uniform brightness across the display, from corner to corner. For a 27-inch mon- itor that retails for $899 and covers 100 percent of the Rec. 709 and 96 percent of the DCI-P3 color space, the BenQ PV270 is a steal. In addition, for still image-based artists, the PV270 BENQ PV270 27-INCH REC. 709 / DCI-P3 MONITOR A GREAT MONITOR FOR VIDEO, POST AND IMAGE MANIPULATION BY BRADY BETZEL ONLINE EDITOR MARGARITA MIX HOLLYWOOD HOLLYWOOD, CA BRADYBETZEL@GMAIL.COM VITAL STATS MANUFACTURER: BenQ PRODUCT: PV270 27-INCH REC. 709 / DCI-P3 MONITOR PRICE: MSRP $899.00 WEBSITE: www.benq.us • Technicolor Color Certified • Has a large viewing angle of 178 degrees without too much loss in contrast and color • 100 percent coverage of Rec. 709 color space and 96 percent coverage of DCI-P3 color space